VA to Lease Two Texas Facilities under Senate Deal

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Veterans Affairs Department would lease two Texas facilities, including one in Tyler, under a Senate deal to expand veterans’ access to government-paid medical care. The VA now has 150 hospitals and 820 clinics nationwide. The bill authorizes the VA to lease 26 new health facilities in 18 states, including community-based outpatient clinics in Tyler and Lubbock. The plan also would consolidate leases of facilities in San Antonio and create a research center in Houston. The framework agreement was announced Thursday on the Senate floor by Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.